These days, digital agencies are dime a dozen, and therefore they are always looking for ways to gain an edge over the competition. Many of these ‘traditional’ marketing agencies offer core services such as PR and web design – yet they want to be able to offer their clients more. Online marketing is constantly changing, and over the past couple of years search engine optimisation (SEO) has become a very popular (not to mention effective) service.However, many of the more traditional marketing agencies lack the technical knowledge to carry out SEO themselves – it really is a service best left to the specialists. With this being the case, a lot of agencies head down the path of SEO outsourcing. By partnering with a reputable SEO firm, they can offer their clients more without having to actually complete the work themselves.

Finding the right partner

There are a lot of SEO firms out there – and some are much better than others. The SEO industry is known to have its fair share of cowboys, so if you’re looking for a reseller you need to choose carefully – after all, it’s your name at stake!

There are plenty of reputable firms WME out there that offer a reseller service, such as WME Group. These larger agencies will have the resources to cater for a larger client base (which is important if you’re a larger agency yourself). That’s not to say the smaller SEO firms aren’t any good – you just need to choose carefully!

Five questions to ask

When it comes to finding an SEO reseller, here are five questions you should be asking:

1. How do you measure your results? Ideally you want an agency that is outcome-focused. Preferably, they should use metrics such as leads and sales, rather than ‘page one rankings’. Page one rankings do not always equate to a successful campaign.2. How do you decide on search terms for your clients? It’s important that the agency you choose is able to pick the right keywords for your clients. They should combine search term analysis with a thorough evaluation of the business.3. How does you SEO service complement other online marketing strategies? SEO is not a service that works alone; it needs to complement the overall marketing strategy. Good SEO firms should recognise this.4. How do you create content for your clients? Content is a critical component of SEO right now, so it’s important that they understand this. Ideally, you want to find an SEO firm that has an in-house team of writers who produce high quality work.5. What is your link building strategy? Links are very important when it comes to search engine optimisation at https://www.wmegroup.com.au/seo/. These days, agencies have to be careful about creating links – they need to be of a high quality. Beware of any SEO firms that appear to use spammy/poor quality/black-hat link building tactics. You don’t want to get your clients’ sites penalised!

Go local

If possible, find a local SEO firm. It makes it easier to build a better partnership, which is very important in business. Of course, it’ll be easier to find a local SEO firm in the major cities – for example, if your agency offers online marketing in Melbourne, you’ll be spoilt for choice. If you’re working in a regional area, you may need to look further afield in order to find a reputable firm. Just remember, it’s your name on the line – so make sure you find an SEO firm that can do your agency justice!